8 zen places in Brasov where you can work in peace

I haven’t told you yet that I have a special bond with Brasov. This is where I was born and where I spent a part of my childhood and it’s the place where I return to at the key moments in my life. As I grew up, I spent part of the summer break in Brasov – it was always the place with fresh air, mountains within a stone’s throw and calm and mild people, very different from what I knew in Giurgiu.

At the age of 20, I went there alone to “find” myself, I spent then more than a week listening to Wayne Dyer and making lists of who I am and what I would like to do in life. I did not discover some revealing answers. I was going to find out much later that staying locked up in an apartment was not how I would find my way. There were on-offs for a weekend, but our relationship did not go too far. Acquaintances, that’s how I would call the relationship we have had in all these years.

Last week I returned to Brasov after a couple of years during which I completely forgot about it. I was thinking about staying for 2-3 days and nothing more. It was just that many things had changed since the last time and Brasov welcomed me with a completely new face. And I wasn’t exactly the same either. 2 days turned into a week in which I went round the coolest places in the city looking for a place to work, to feel at peace and with good food. Look what I found:

Pharmacy Cafe

Although I only saw it briefly, I liked this place a lot, because it has personality: it is arranged as a pharmacy in the place of a former pharmacy, that of Dr. Jekelius. You can drink cocktails in laboratory glassware, you are served by people wearing lab coats and you can find a range of herbal products: teas, soaps, oils, spices. When I was there, it was quiet, especially during the day.

L`Etage

This place has a great view, with windows facing Republicii Street, the main street in Brasov. If you find empty one of the 2 tables by the window, you just got yourself a great experience. I really liked the trumpet made of books – very colourful. It’s arranged like a library and has plenty of books to read. Lots of coffee and tea.

Ma Cocotte

God, I enjoyed this place so much! I got here surfing the web for a special place to go for my birthday and I liked it so much when I saw there was a table with a large tree growing right in the middle of it. It has many vegan and raw vegan dishes, and the vibe is elegant but very welcoming. It is a vibe I keep in my heart, and that’s how I would like my home to feel like. Nature, pots, lanterns and decoration items that you will like. And the food is great!

Tipografia

This is the perfect place for freelancers, especially during the day. I was there for brunch and, even if I did not find eggs as I would have liked, I appreciated the salmon and avocado sandwiches, the bruschetta with tomatoes and the croissants. I’ve also found a place by the window, and across the street there were the colored houses on Diaconu Coresi street. They have sockets everywhere, which is absolutely perfect for work. And I understand that it also hosts musical events.

Opus 9

A style rather Scandinavian, elegant, minimalist. Here you will only find many types of coffee, smoothies and desserts, but it looks great inside and it’s very chill. I think it is one of the hip & cool places in Brasov, located in one of the hidden squares in downtown. I did not stay because they didn’t have any food, but I loved the vibe a lot. I was still thinking of it after I left. The photos are from their Facebook page.

Festival 39

It’s the sister of the former Festival39 in Bucharest, which doesn’t exist anymore, unfortunately. In Brasov, on the other hand, it is right on the Republicii Street, on 2 floors, with a romantic atmosphere as in the interwar period and a rich menu. I ate a cheese soup and they have many kinds of hot chocolate, the pudding one, with various flavours. I also caught a few minutes of a piano song, absolutely perfect, suited to the place and I felt sorry that I could not congratulate the artist. The photos are taken from their Facebook page, as I couldn’t do anything with my phone because of the lamps light.

Dei Frati

This is rather a restaurant, but a restaurant with great food that lures you from outside. The smell drew me inside! They have very good pasta, as well as desserts. I really liked the menu which looks like a school notebook, a very nice touch. It’s an Italian style and it’s hard to find an empty table at noon, but I tend to think that if you go in the morning there will be plenty of room and you will eat well.

Starbucks

When you do not know where to go and what to do, but you get to the Sfatului Square frozen to death, you can also trust Starbucks. I like their atmosphere, it always seems like it makes you take out your laptop and send some emails, it has become a kind of a hub for freelancers. I did not stay, I just bought a Mocha and a muffin that I ate on a bench in the square, but I felt good the whole time I was inside.

Bonus: If you want to buy books, trust the Humanitas bookstore next to Biserica Neagră (Black Church). I really liked how it looked from outside and that’s why I went in, I stayed some time inside – the atmosphere is great.

All in all, my trip to Brasov felt like a breath of fresh air and it showed me that I do not have to go far away, across the sea, to feel like an explorer gone to discover wonderful places. I can take a train and within 2 hours I’m in another world. So I’ll come again.

Do you have other ideas of cool, good places to work in Brasov?